Culture of Wlieat near Ardress in Ireland. 691 



ing is quite out of the question, and even very hurtful; but care 

 should be taken to prevent moisture as much as possible. Cover 

 more or less according to the severity of the weather ; and 

 keep the lights uncovered in the day, whenever and as much 

 as the weather will permit. By this treatment the Dutch 

 gardeners produce cabbage lettuce during the whole winter 

 till the month of April, when they are succeeded by the early 

 forced. 



I have followed this method for forty-five successive years 

 in the Royal Gardens at Rosenburgh, but never so successfully 

 as it is done in Holland. It depends greatly on the soil : a 

 light leaf mould is considered the best, and it is not to be 

 had in large towns. I know the Roman lettuce is preferred 

 in England, but I suppose it is scarce in the winter; there- 

 fore it might be of advantage to some of your readers to get 

 acquainted with a method of producing salat pomme (cabbage 

 lettuce) in the middle of the winter. 



P. LlNDEGAARD. 



Art. XVIII. Notice of the Culture of Wheat in the Neighbourhood 

 of Ardress, in Ireland. By G. Ensor, Esq., Author of The Inde- 

 pendent Man and other Works. 



Sir, 

 I am induced to send you the following remarks, in conse- 

 quence of seeing some lost crops of wheat this year in the Isle 

 of Wight, from the mode of tillage in that wet land. The 

 practice in my immediate neighbourhood, where the land is 

 strong and retentive clay, is as follows : — Wheat is generally 

 sown after potatoes, sometimes on fallows ; in both cases the 

 land is harrowed flat ; then the plough superficially marks the 

 ridges, which are sown broad-cast. The ridges vary from 4£ ft. 

 to 5 ft. ; the furrow 1 ft. wide, which is dug about 1 4 in. deep 

 in thin spadefuls, and cast on either side on the grain. The 

 furrows are shovelled as they are dug, one shovel to four 

 spades. This practice has various benefits : less seed is 

 required, all being on the same level, no grain being buried, 

 none lost on the surface. It can be executed any day that 

 men can work out ; it deepens the land, and keeps land and 

 grain dry during the wettest seasons. Ten men should dig 

 and shovel an acre in a day. Perhaps I should add, that the 

 furrow made by digging should be necked on either side the 

 ridge ; and the spade I speak of is the Irish spade. 



I am, Sir, yours, &c. 

 Ardress, Loughgall, Sept. 19. 1830. George Ensor. 



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